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Meet New York's Next Generation of Physicians

Oct

9

2012

Public Relations Committee”

New York’s medical schools continue to expand their medical school classes as they reaffirm their commitment to training more physicians and providing high quality care to all New York State residents.

The Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMSNY) announced today that a total of 2,230 new medical students enrolled this fall in New York State’s sixteen medical schools. To mark their first steps towards becoming physicians, they participated in ‘white coat ceremonies’ at their institutions, donning the physician’s traditional white coat for the first time.

“This rite of passage is an acknowledgement of the students’ achievements thus far and serves as a symbol of an ongoing commitment to the profession of medicine and the ethical and moral obligations students are expected to uphold,” said Jo Wiederhorn, AMSNY President and Chief Executive Officer.

The tradition of the white coat ceremony began in 1993 at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation. Dr. Gold, a teacher and pediatric neurologist for more than forty years at Columbia, noted at the 1991 commencement ceremony that students were reciting the Hippocratic Oath “four years too late.” Dr. Gold said medical students should take the Oath when they begin their medical training, as it is during medical school that students make their first contact with patients and thus should be held to a higher standard of practicing medicine ethically and honestly.

New York’s health care landscape is changing rapidly due to an increasingly diverse population, rising costs and policy changes such as the Affordable Care Act. The medical schools in NYS recognize the need to train a more culturally and linguistically competent physician workforce in order to better serve their communities and to accommodate the mounting need for primary care and specialty services.

“The Association of American Medical Colleges estimates that in 2015 the country will have 62,900 fewer doctors than needed,” said Wiederhorn. “And that number will more than double by 2025, as the expansion of insurance coverage and the aging of the ‘baby boomer’ population drive up demand for care. The need for well-trained, highly skilled physicians has never been greater. New York’s medical schools are dedicated to meeting this need.”

Highlights from this year’s new class of medical students include:

Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University welcomed 183 students to its Class of 2016. One hundred and fifteen students speak at least one foreign language, 30 play at least one instrument, 24 are trained EMTs and two are Eagle Scouts. Of paramount importance to the consideration of applications is each individual’s involvement in volunteer activities. Students have worked with organizations such as the Save the Children, Habitat for Humanity, Teach for America, the Peace Corps, Engineers Without Borders, Cover Africa and the LGBT Cooperative.

Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine welcomed 60 students to their Class of 2016. The 32 women and 28 men range in age from 23 to 46 years old and were selected from more than 5,000 applicants.

Mount Sinai School of Medicine enrolled 140 students into the Class of 2016. This year was the first year that students received a portable ultrasound device that can visualize internal organs, called the V-Scan, in addition to their traditional stethoscopes. The device was developed by General Electronic Health Care and Mount Sinai is the first medical school in New York to introduce this new technology to their institution. The belief is that the advancement in technology will revolutionize teaching in medicine.

NYU School of Medicine welcomed 162 students (75 women and 87 men) to their Class of 2016. They hail from 26 states, plus Canada and represent 73 undergraduate schools. Among the students are an attorney; jazz musician; competitive swimmer; nationally ranked tennis player; professional photographer; wine expert; a gold medal winner in the Massachusetts Junior Olympics and the publisher of The New York Times crossword puzzles.

Stony Brook University School of Medicine welcomed 124 new medical students this year, including Marshall Leonard, a former Major League Soccer player from Columbus, GA. In 2012. The School of Medicine received an all-time high of 4,918 applicants.

SUNY Downstate Medical Center welcomed 184 new medical students (87 women and 97 men) to their Class of 2016. The age of students ranged from 21 to 39 and they hailed from 76 different undergraduate colleges. Collectively, Downstate’s new class of students speak 40 different languages or dialects, including American sign language, and 114 are first-generation children of immigrants representing 49 countries. The majority of students cited Downstate’s early exposure to clinical training and its location as a major draw, with 53 students coming from local Brooklyn neighborhoods.

The School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo, the State University of New York (SUNY), welcomed a new class of 144 medical students. The class includes 118 New York State residents, 59 from Western New York. Twenty-six are UB graduates. The Class of 2016 has already been recognized for their academic and athletic achievements and their public service. In addition, several students have received fellowships from the NIH and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Weill Cornell Medical Collegewelcomed 101 students from 26 states, Canada and Belgium. Twenty percent of their students are from groups under-represented in medicine. More than 60 percent of the student body knows more than one language — five students can speak four — and collectively, they speak 26 different dialects. Many of the students have expressed a commitment to research, global health and population health.

The Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMSNY) is the State’s voice for medical education. Its members are: